110 200 tdi - power loss up steep hills

Hi, I'm new to this forum so first of all hello.

I have had a 200tdi for the last five months and she's been great (7000 miles) We've been everywhere, from the north tip of Scotland the the Swiss Alps and many places in between. We've had no tropuble, no leaks, no break downs, just tons of fun!

We've done a bit of off roading but nothing to serious. However, I am a bit nervous of going off road somewhere where there are steeper hills because even when driving on roads, when faced with a steep hill we seem to just loose power. When driving in the highlands I could only manage some 1/3 or 1/4 type hills, on the tarmac, in 1st gear. Also I really had to rev the engine the other day when I was driving up a very high kerb because the first attempt the engine nearly stalled.

Granted I was not in low range for the above but is this normal???

Also if I was off raod and in low range would the engine struggle up a steep hill?

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences etc.

Thanks very much in advance

Nick

First of all :welcome2:

How much weight are you carrying is the first question?

The second is when did this loss of power first occur?

OSD

I think after 7000 miles a bloody good service might cure your deamons

Hi, thanks for responding OSD

Its been happening since I took ownership.

In Scotland we were cartying quite a bit of weight - full water tank and camping gear etc. Also inside is panelled and she has a heavey roof rack. However, this is nothing compared to what would be carried on an expidition. When i struggled with the high curb we were not carrying any extra weight - although the curb was about 1ft hight and verticle

Good point, I should have said - She was serviced when we bought her on 109,000 miles, again at 114,000 miles and will be again in the next 119,000 miles

Being a muppett, I forgot to ask the garage when I took her in (me just being forgetful).

Also it would be good to hear any other peoples experiences before I ask take her to the garage

to some extent its normal with turbo engine as will be gutless till enough revs for boost to have an effect, but i would check fuel system is goo and air free ,clear plastic pipe is good to have in between filter and front banjo on injection pump as you can see it plus you can check at high revs when greater fuel is needed,timing is something to check to as slight retardation can reduce power noticeably,pump timing can be done through inspection plate at front ,with crank pin and pump pin ,cam timing requires front cover off ,but i would try advancing to just before knock as engine timing varies so much when cam belts fitted

Thanks JamesMartin - much appreciated, I'll have a look at all that

Could a good dose Redex help also?

If you want your clutch to last a fair while, suggest you use low range to climb foot high vertical curbs !

tacr2man - thats my point - will low range get me up a kerb like that with out it just stalling? Would I not still have to give it revs?

I'm new to this and still dont quite know what to expect from low range - other than it is good off road going slowly!

The engine (200tdi) uses a turbo to increase engine power and efficiency .
The engine when not on boost still produces power (torque) but not as much , the demand for power to climb a foot high kerb may well be too much for the engine off boost , but by selecting low range the multiplying effect of the low range gearing will allow it to do so . HTSH

I don't know a huge amount about these compared to the guys on here, but I had a similar issue recently and was actually down to a loose clip on the intercooler hose letting the high pressure air out of the turbo loop so it never boosted properly.

Dunno if that is any help or not.

Airways said:

I don't know a huge amount about these compared to the guys on here, but I had a similar issue recently and was actually down to a loose clip on the intercooler hose letting the high pressure air out of the turbo loop so it never boosted properly.

Dunno if that is any help or not.

Click to expand...

just beat me to it with the turbo/intercooler hose can make a squealing sound if loose...also check that the turbo wastegate actuator hasnt come off!
Also search on this forum for loss of power on 200tdi loads of threads
Welcome to the mad house:welcome2:

When strugling up hill does it give out a large amount of smoke?
If so what colour?
Black = too much fuel, or usually not enough air. check turbo and intercooler pipes etc
grey = not enough fuel,
Is it a disco or a fender.
if a disco, check the sedimenter at the rear, change the fuel filter,

Thanks everyone for all your help! I didn't expect such a good response and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to comment. Theres lots for me to check and tweak and I'll let you know how I get on

Thanks again